Tony Perkins: Media Ignored Shooting Because It Doesn't Fit Narrative

By

Carlos Santoscoy

|
August 21, 2012

Tony Perkins, president of the
Christian conservative Family Research Council (FRC), claims the
media has mostly ignored a shooting at the group's DC headquarters
because it does not fit a storyline hostile to conservatives.

Twenty-eight-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins
of Herndon, Virginia allegedly walked into the group's lobby on
Wednesday and shot a security guard in the arm before he was wrestled
to the ground.

At a press conference on Thursday, Perkins
accused the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which in 2010 labeled
FRC a “hate group,” of enabling the shooting.

“Corkins was given a license to shoot
an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center
(SPLC) that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups
because they disagree with them on public policy,” said Perkins.
“I believe the Southern Poverty Law Center should be held
accountable for their reckless use of terminology.”

“It was stunning that most of the
coverage, with the exception of just a few reports I saw over the
weekend, were from Fox,” he said. “The others … ignored it.”

“I think the reason is, it doesn't
fit the storyline. You know, it's supposed to be conservatives who
are angry, who are filled with hate. And that's not the case.”

Perkins added that the guard, Leo
Johnson, considered shooting Corkins.

“So the thought came to him, he might
shoot [Corkins], but he said, 'No, the Lord told me, don't do that.'
And he didn't,” said Perkins. “So that man left unharmed from
our building. Probably the only one who wasn't harmed in some form
or fashion.”

He also reiterated his claim that the
SPLC was complicit in the crime.

“Clearly, they are inciting this
environment of hostility toward religious organizations. And it's
dangerous. We've now seen this gone beyond the rhetoric and passing
of words to actually almost taking the lives of individuals.”